Power Play
by pandorabox82
Summary: Emily finds herself caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to keeping her position with the BAU. Set during season two of the series.


Emily smoothed her jacket nervously over her hips as she stared up at Gideon's office. Things could have gone better on their trip to Guantanamo Bay, and she wondered if she would ever be able to fully convince the older man that she truly belonged on the team. Oh, sure, Hotchner was the designated leader of the Alpha team, but Gideon was the one who held real power and sway over the entire group, and Emily knew that she had to win him over in order to fully belong there.

Which explained, in part, just why she was still in the office long after even Agent Hotchner had gone home. She still was working up the courage to approach him, to try and figure out just what her in could possibly be. "If you don't go up there now, Emily, you never will," she finally muttered as she tugged at the hem of her jacket and took her first steps towards the staircase. Drawing in a deep breath, Emily hastily climbed upwards, telling herself that she was a productive addition to the team.

Still, she touched the wood of Gideon's door hesitantly, not certain why she was feeling so apprehensive about things. Shaking her head, she knocked stoutly before she could second guess herself once more and waited for a response. "Enter!"

Opening the door, Emily immediately noticed that the only light source was a lamp on the older man's desk, and it haloed his head a little, lending him a certain air that she had only seen in paintings in Italy. "Sir, I was hoping that we could talk about how you felt things went. I get the feeling that you're going to be key to my remaining with the team, and I want that more than anything."

He looked up at her over his reading glasses, and she had to draw on all her mother's training to not shiver or show unease at the scathing look in his gaze. "Well, what you want and what's good for the team are two completely different things. Tell me, Emily, why should I even begin to consider you for this position, when there are numerous other candidates who have worked with our team before, that are more than qualified, readily available?"

She cocked her head to one side as she dared to take a seat in front of his desk, coolly regarding him as she composed her answer. "I'd rather think the fact that I can speak multiple languages, have had contact with numerous cultures, and can adapt well to any situation, would make me more than qualified, along with those other candidates. If Section Chief Strauss didn't think that I was a viable candidate, she would never have attached me to this unit."

At the mention of the woman's name, a vein in Gideon's forehead began to throb, and Emily knew that she had struck a sore spot with the man. Emily couldn't help but tuck that piece of information away in the back of her head, knowing that it might serve her well in the future, even if she hated office politics with a passion. "Erin can be a meddlesome shrew when she wants to be."

The words were out of his lips before he could recall them, and Emily had to stifle her smile so as not to upset him further. "She's also your superior. It wouldn't do well to insult her."

"She knows exactly what I think of her. This is just another attempt to lord her power over me. And if you're her pick, then you have no place on this team."

"What?!"

"You heard me. My decision is final." He bent back over his report, as if to dismiss her, and she felt the anger build in her chest as she clenched her hands into tight balls. "You are free to leave at any time."

"No. I will not give up so easily! I have wanted a position with the FBI ever since I returned to the US. Surely there must be something I can do to convince you that I deserve a position on this team. Tell me, and I'll do it."

There must have been something in her voice that gave him pause to reconsider, as she watched his eyebrow tick up a little. A small knot of dread began to form in the pit of her stomach, but it was too late to recall her words at that point, and she only hoped that he wouldn't ask anything too out of her wheelhouse. Taking a deep breath, she tried to look at him steadily as he raised his head and met her gaze once more. "Anything?"

Swallowing thickly, Emily nodded before crossing her arms defensively over her stomach as her foot began to tap a nervous tattoo. "Yes."

An almost feral smile curved his lips upwards, and she fought down the shiver that swept over her spine as she wondered just what was going through his mind. "Well, let's put that theory to test. There's still a bed down in the bunker."

So, she was going to have to use her body to get what she wanted once more. Emily should have seen it coming, really, but she had thought that this was her opportunity to have a clean slate. The idea that she would have to debase herself once more ate at her heart, and she schooled her features as she gave him a decisive nod. "That will work just fine for me, sir."

Gideon raked his eyes up and down her body, making her feel almost dirty. And in that moment, she began to compartmentalize her reactions and feelings, knowing that it would not serve her well to dwell on what was about to happen. "Are you ready, then?" She nodded. "Good. Follow me."

He stood and made for the door. Emily was still a few beats behind, and she shook her head a little to clear the fog of indecision from her brain as she finally got up and loped over to where he was waiting for her. Wordlessly, they travelled down to a part of the building that she was unfamiliar with, and she prayed to whatever gods were listening that this wouldn't be too repugnant. Emily somehow knew that she would have to make it believable in order to convey to Gideon just how much she wanted to be on the team.

Gideon pulled out a ring of keys from his pocket and unlocked a door, gesturing with his hand for her to enter. Taking a quiet, deep, breath, she sailed past him and began to fumble with the buttons on her blouse, wanting to get this over with. Still, silence hung heavily over them, and she was almost grateful for that. If he were to speak, or worse, sing or whistle, she would go mad.

A gruff hand on her shoulder caught her attention, and she jumped a little as she turned to see that he was completely naked, and obviously ready for her. Plastering a completely fake smile on her lips, she let him lead her over to the bed he had mentioned earlier, his hands finishing the job of removing her clothes.

It stunned her, really, how effectively she was able to compartmentalize what was happening to her body, and she stared with unseeing eyes up at the ceiling as she vaguely heard her mouth ape the appropriate sounds, knowing that he would be completely into what his ears heard. Men, even profilers, were so easy to fool, and she tried to at least plaster a pleasant look on her face, so that he wouldn't have cause to question just how into it she was.

Finally, after ten long minutes, he finished with her, and he stood without even a second glance to see if she had gotten off. It stung a little, but Emily reasoned that she would have to get accustomed to such treatment if she continued on with the team. "I'll see you tomorrow at eight."

"Thank you, Sir," she replied as demurely as she could. Inside, Emily was beginning to seethe at his casual dismissal of her, but she knew somehow that she would get through it without taking his head off, since it meant that she would be working where she wanted to work. She waited until she heard the door slam shut before she sat up and began to take deep, calming, breaths. It was the only thing she knew to do, to calm her heart and keep herself from rushing after him and slapping a sexual harassment suit on his ass.

When she was certain that she wouldn't see him again that evening, Emily climbed out of the bed and gathered her clothing up, hastily putting them on before heading out of the room, letting the door slam decisively behind her. Making her way back up to the bullpen, she grabbed her purse and then made her way out to her car, eager to put the evening behind her, for good.

"…you're going to help me make that happen."

Emily felt a rush of frigid air run up and down her spine as she stared blankly at Chief Strauss. The look on her face was inscrutable, and she wondered what was going through her superior's mind. Her nervous tapping only sped up the longer she watched the older woman's face, trying to find out just how she was supposed to make that happen. And a part of her recognized that she had seen that look on another face, early on in her career with the BAU, and decided to go with that feeling of familiarity.

Swallowing nervously, she nodded, knowing that she didn't really agree with what the woman wanted her to do, and then stood up from her chair, easily closing the distance between them. Chief Strauss's face wrinkled up in confusion, and Emily shook her head a little as she reached out and undid the clip that held the woman's hair up before leaning in and kissing her deeply.

Frantically, Chief Strauss beat at her back, and Emily pulled away from her, staring into stormy, angry, grey eyes. With shaking hands, the older woman did her hair into a semblance of its previous updo, and glared at Emily. "And just what do you think that was? Some easy way to ensure your position in the BAU?"

The tone was steely, as if Chief Strauss was valiantly trying to control every emotion she was feeling in that moment. And suddenly, Emily found herself at a loss for words. She tripped back over to her chair and sat heavily, looking anywhere but at her superior. Knowing that she needed to come up with an answer, and soon, Emily bit her lip before savagely attacking her thumbnail, coming a little too close to the quick and drawing blood. Chief Strauss let out an impatient sigh before rummaging through her desk to find something. And then, Emily found a Band-Aid thrust at her. "Thank you," she mumbled as she affixed it to her skin.

"I am still awaiting an answer."

Emily nodded as she looked up into Chief Strauss's face. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. I don't know what came over me."

"I should say so. Your mother would be most displeased with such behavior." Emily snorted. "She would."

"She's been disappointed by me too many times to count, Ma'am. I doubt this would break the top ten. That would be…Well, she doesn't know about what I had to do with Gideon…"

At the mention of his name, Chief Strauss's face tightened, and Emily cocked her head to one side, knowing that there was a story there, somewhere. "He does like to make his power plays, doesn't he?" the older woman whispered before looking down at her desk. "Be that as it may, Agent Prentiss, such behavior is extremely uncalled for, and I trust it will never happen again. Ever. With anyone."

From the way Strauss said that, Emily knew that she had more than an inkling of what had occurred all those months ago, and was giving her tacit approval to shut it down with her backing. She nodded quickly, still hating the politics of it all before standing once more. "I'll be certain to keep that in mind, Ma'am," she said as she made her way over to the door. This was something she would never be able to forget, and she hoped that eventually, Strauss would be able to move past it. Maybe if she followed strict protocol from here on out, everything would be all right. She just seriously hated being caught in the midst of a serious power play.

"See that you do, Agent Prentiss," Strauss's voice called out after her as she walked out of the office, and it was all Emily could do to keep from shuddering. She was quickly coming to resent the sibilant sounds of that woman's voice, and she only hoped that she could survive long enough to see Gideon taken down.


End file.
